As we slowly creep into the months of spring and the weather starts getting a little warmer, hosting a brunch party doesn’t seem like a bad idea at all! As a London resident, I love how the city slowly starts to transform itself into one big garden during the springtime, with the parks looking lush and beautiful cherry blossom trees painting the town in shades of pink and blush.
With the feeling of spring in the air, what better thing to do than to head over to the park with friends to enjoy the sunshine with a bottle of prosecco and some yummy brunch food. I can appreciate that brunch party planning can sometimes be a little challenging, so if you are planning on hosting a little brunch outing, then you’ve come to the right place!
Brunch Party Planning
For me, it was a little more specific. I was hosting a brunch party that was in fact a bridal shower brunch for a wedding I was bridesmaid at. I hosted it in my own back garden, but I wanted to share what went into the planning and menu, to perhaps inspire readers to host their own brunch party either at home or in the park. And whilst it’s always nice to have something to celebrate, this is perfect for any sunny weekend with friends!
5 Steps to Hosting a Brunch Party
Plan Your Guest List
The first step to any lunch, brunch or party in general is to decide on your guest list. By determining this from the very beginning, you will be much better organised when it comes to catering for the right amount of people. Don’t forget to check with your guests whether they have any dietary requirements so that you can ensure you can cater to everyone!
I’ve always found that the best way to do this is by creating an event on Facebook. It’s an easy way of creating polls for things like dates, dietary requirements and locations. I find this handy in ensuring that you get a good turnout – especially if it’s for something important like a hen party or baby shower. By running a poll with all invitees for things like dates and location, you can ensure that you select a date when the turnout is likely to be biggest.
That being said, when you are hosting a brunch party for a special occasion, I think sending out little invites is lovely so that everyone can keep a little momento. Once you have all the info from your Facebook polls, head over to Papier for some well-priced and gorgeous invitation options for pretty much any kind of event. Have a browse and find ones that are perfect for you!
Organise Crockery
Our bridal brunch party took place in my back garden at the time, so it made sense for me to invest in glass and ceramic crockery. I bought enough crockery to cater to everyone from a few different stores. I’m now updating this article almost 2 years after the event took place, so unfortunately I no longer have the links to the exact items seen in the pictures, but I’ve tried my best to find similar pieces! The exception is the matte gold cutlery that I picked up from Made, which are amazingly still available!
I’ve also included some other bits and bobs for those planning on hosting their event at the park – and that means picnic baskets and blankets! Whether your brunch party is taking place at home or outdoors, I would always encourage the use of ceramic crockery and stainless steel cutlery in the interest of the environment and reducing plastic usage – especially single-use plastic. A cute picnic basket is the perfect way to transport these.
Choose a Colour Scheme
We were so lucky to have such beautiful weather that weekend, so me and my fellow bridesmaid selected sunflower yellow and vibrant purple for our colour scheme. I really think flowers help to make a house a home and so I always try to have fresh flowers sitting around the house, particularly if I am hosting an event. Plus – they are a great way of bringing out the colour scheme!
Roses are my all-time favourite flower and I love that we were able to find these stunning yellow roses from Wheelers, just outside Turnham Green station in Chiswick. In addition to the yellow roses, we also picked up some Brasco violets and what I believe are called Martinettes. If there are any florist readers, please let me know if these are incorrect!
The bunting in the background was also shades of yellow, lilac and lavender, and was handmade by fellow bridesmaid and clothing designer Sophie Pace, using bits of different coloured fabric. This made it super long-lasting (rain or shine!) and multi-use. There are tons of websites that sell eco friendly bunting so you won’t be short of options. Websites like Etsy, Not On The High Street or Amazon have got you covered.
Set the Menu
Brunch is meant to showcase the best bits of breakfast and lunch, and to me that means fresh, healthy and tasty food mixing both sweet and savoury. We started with the sweet dishes, followed by the warmer savoury dishes and of course lots of mimosas and prosecco. I include the brunch menu below, as well as where you can find the recipes!
Homemade Strawberry Jam
(recipe by Deliciously Ella)
Blueberries
Blackberries
Granola & Almond Milk
Coconut Yoghurt
Homemade Nutella
(recipe by Minimalist Baker)
Carrot Cake Muffins
(recipe by Deliciously Ella)
Quinoa Sourdough
(from Gail’s Bakery)
Croissants
(from Gail’s Bakery)
Smoked Salmon
Poached Eggs
Garlicky Mushrooms
Mashed Avocado
Lemon and Poppyseed Cake
(from Petersham Nurseries)
Prosecco
Fresh Orange Juice
Ginger Shots
(ginger and apple passed through a juicer)
Coffee
Preparation is Key!
The key to having a relaxed day on the day of the brunch party is having a plan and timeline. Once you have made your menu, run through it and prepare everything you can the day before. It could even be as simple as plating the smoked salmon. The day before, we were able to finish juicing all the oranges, the ginger shots, baked the carrot cake muffins and lastly made the jam and nutella.
That meant that on the actual day, we only had to prepare the warm food and avocados and collect the cake! For the poached eggs, we bought these silicone poached egg holders which, again, made life so much easier!
Of course, preparation doesn’t just apply to the food. The night before I wrote out all the food labels in gold pen on ecru card that I had purchased from Paperchase. Whilst I did this, Sophie worked on finalising the bunting and trimming the small flowers to fit inside the tumblers. We put out the bunting and flowers the day of the brunch.
My final thoughts on any brunch though, aside from all of the food and pretty decorations, what actually makes any party fun are your guests and having a good time together. Enjoy the food, the prosecco, the sunshine and most importantly each other’s company!
What are your tips for throwing the perfect brunch party? I would love to hear about what’s on your menus and to learn some of your recipes! Drop your suggestions below in the comments!
Shop The Look!
If you are looking for more hen party planning ideas, you might want to check out a hen party I planned over a weekend in Malta. Another success!
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Sarah is a syndicated freelance writer and editor of Dukes Avenue. She founded Dukes Avenue in 2018 as a creative outlet while working at a London hedge fund. What initially started as a small blog has become a widely read luxury lifestyle online publication targeted at the modern woman, with content curated to inspire readers to live their best and most fulfilled lives. Sarah has lived in London, Malta, and, most recently, the United Arab Emirates and uses her travels and experiences to inspire much of the content.
